A Trip Down Memory Lane
by cairo choco
Summary: UNDER MODIFICATION. What a horrible feeling that had been, not being able to tell the difference between dream, and the real thing. multichapter.
1. an unreal reality

**t**_**itle**_; A Trip Down Memory Lane

**s**_**ummary**_; What a horrible feeling that had been, not being able to tell the difference between dream, and the real thing.

**d**_**isclaimer**_; see above. D:

**C_hapter One; _**

an unreal reality

* * *

The quiet, peaceful night suddenly exploded in shrieks and yelling as the redhead fought to free herself from the tangles of the blankets. She struggled and screamed and flailed around hopelessly until strong arms enveloped her and someone whispered in her ear, "Kairi, Kairi, it's okay, it was only a dream, just calm down." 

Finally her breathing slowed and she managed to form words instead of unintelligible babbling. "I… Where- what happened?! What happened to Sora?!" Her eyes searched the dark room but could find nothing out of the ordinary. A large mirror hung directly across from the bed and she stared at her reflection without comprehension. The young woman staring back at her did not immediately look familiar, with her shocking red hair and startled blue eyes. The man next to her seemed even more out of place, but she latched on to him with a ferocious intensity. "S… Sora?"

"Who? Kairi, it's me. Ienzo." He brushed bluish hair out of his face and peered at her worriedly. "Are you all right?"

For a wild moment Kairi's mind reeled in a vertigo of remembrance. She pushed back her dreams and held onto reality as imaginary events faded into black and real ones reasserted themselves. With a wave of relief, she realized she knew where she was, she knew _who_ she was, and she definitely knew who the young man beside her was.

"Oh… Oh, Ienzo…" she sighed and dropped her head into her hands. "Oh wow, what a trip."

He also seemed relieved. "Jesus, Kairi. Married only one week and already sleeping with you is such trouble." He muttered. The redhead answered with a shaky laugh.

"I'm sorry. It was… just a really strange dream…"

Ienzo got up and stretched. "It's okay. I'll get you a glass of water, alright?" She nodded and he left the room. Kairi pulled her knees up to her chest and glanced back at the mirror. What a horrible feeling that had been, not being able to tell the difference between dream, and the real thing.

Ienzo returned and handed her a ceramic mug that read "Welcome to Xedez!" in happy black letters. She drank greedily as he crawled back under the covers and flopped back down onto the pillows. "Do you think you'll be able to go back to sleep?" he asked when she set the mug on the bedside table.

Kairi snuggled up next to him. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She murmured. He swept the hair out of her face and planted a sleepy kiss on her forehead. "'Atta girl…" he mumbled.

She listened to his slow breathing and tried to match hers to his. It felt so much safer curled up against a warm body, with the covers pulled up to her chin.

Quiet settled once again on the little apartment as Kairi drifted off into a blessedly dreamless sleep.

• • •

Morning found Kairi making breakfast in a quaint little kitchen. Ienzo sat down at the table and breathed in the smell of baking food. "Mmmm. There's nothing like a homemade breakfast before going into work early."

She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Again?" She thought back. "…Didn't you go in early all of last week, too?"

Ienzo nodded. "I did indeed. The Doctor doesn't just hand out off-time, even if you're getting married. Also, is that done yet?" he added, pointing at the stove Kairi was supposed to be tending.

"Oops!" She flipped a slightly burnt pancake and turned down the heat. Ienzo sauntered over and wrapped his arms around her middle, either inhaling her coconut-lime shampoo or the blueberry pancakes. "I wonder what you'd do if I stopped making pancakes." she hummed.

"Ah, you wouldn't deprive a working man his wife's breakfast would you? And no one makes them quite like you do. Just the way I like them." He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Wait, what?" she said suddenly. "You mean you actually _work_? And I thought you just sat around all day, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper."

She couldn't see, but she could practically feel him rolling his eyes. Sure enough, he let out a deep dramatic sigh and begun his pre-prepared speech for these types of occasions. "Kairi, being a scientist is a very important job. I'm so lucky to have this opportunity at such a young age, too. But I'm very proud of the work I do. How far would we be without all those men-"

"And women," Kairi muttered under her breath. She felt him smile. "_And_ women," he added. "What would we do if they didn't help us move forward into the future and understand the world around us? Where would we be if-"

"Alright, alright," she interrupted again. "I get it." She twisted around in his hold so that she could wrap her arms around his neck and lean in close. "As long as you're home in time for dinner…"

He chuckled and captured her lips in a kiss. "That sounded like a very wifely thing to say. You know, I think you're getting the hang of this."

A cell phone started ringing somewhere. Kairi huffed furiously as Ienzo let go of her and reached for it. "Ah, it's Braig. Sorry, Kai, I've got to go." He grabbed his lab coat and hurried out the door. "And don't worry, I'll be back for dinner!" he called behind him.

She watched the door swing shut, then rushed to the window. The redhead leaned out into the sunshine and waved at Ienzo, now three stories below her. He waved back before clambering into a cab and driving away.

Oh boy, was she a lucky girl. Only just turned eighteen and already married to a nineteen year old boy genius, with a steady income and plenty of good looks.

Suddenly the fire alarm went off, with a start she realized she'd left the stove on. "Oh no-! The pancakes!"

• • •

After saving what was left of her breakfast, Kairi grabbed a cab and escaped the little apartment to run some errands.

Two hours later and midway through her trip to the grocery, she noticed someone following her. She would've just shrugged it off if she hadn't been sure the same redhead had also gone to the same post office, _and_ the same bakery. And hadn't she seen him outside the subway too?

She paid for her food and tried to ignore her paranoia. Even so, she couldn't help running a bit for a taxi.

She didn't see the guy again until three days later.

• • •

"Hello, I'm Aaron Parker, with the Xedez Times. You're Miss Kairi, of room number 234, right?"

At first Kairi tried to push her way past the man before her cab could take off. But persistent 'Excuse me Miss's made her stop. The guy was tall, and very thin under his faded tweed coat. Red hair poked out from beneath a matching hat. She peered up at him suspiciously. "Yes?"

"Well, you see, you don't have a subscription, and I'd like to interest you in one-" he began suavely before she cut him off.

"The paper? Oh yes, that sounds like a good idea- but I'll have to look into it later- my cab-" she glanced behind her. It was already gone.

Aaron Parker- what an incredibly common name. For some reason, looking up into those steely emerald eyes with those peculiar tattoos beneath them- she just could see a strange man like him with such a name. He seemed an odd sort for a paperman.

He must've noticed the suspicion return to her eyes, and he suddenly grabbed her arm. She was so startled she didn't attempt to free herself.

After a moment she snatched her arm back, and he didn't make any move to take it again. The girl gave him one last astonished glance before spinning around and running away.

• • •

Kairi wasn't prepared to tell Ienzo she had a stalker. She couldn't quite believe it herself. So she kept quiet and greeted him when he got home like she always did.

She managed to act completely normal and didn't mention anything until she was getting ready for bed.

The nights were getting colder as the season changed from cloudy autumn to icy winter, and Kairi had hoped to be able to curl up under warm covers and cozy up with Ienzo. She was a little surprised when she walked into the bedroom and it wasn't any warmer than it was outside. She retreated back to the hallway and checked the thermostat. It was seventy-six degrees in the rest of the house, but definitely at least ten degrees cooler in her room. With some confusion, she checked the bedroom window.

It was open. Mostly shut, but still slightly ajar, cracked just enough to be pried open by human fingers.

Ienzo looked up from his book when he noticed Kairi watching him. She had her arms wrapped around herself and was shivering lightly in her thin nightdress. "Is something wrong?" he asked when she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"…The window was open. In the bedroom."

He seemed to understand, for he stood up and looped an arm around her shoulders. "We must've opened it this morning and forgot to shut it. Remember, you said it looked like it was going to be a lovely day."

She gave him a flat, disbelieving stare. "I didn't open it. Did you?"

Ienzo chose not to reply. Instead, he led her into the bedroom and shut the window. It locked with an audible click.

• • •

As far as Kairi could remember, she'd never been a paranoid person. It was relatively easy to shrug off suspicion and any thoughts of the eerie redhead. With no sight of him for over a week, her conscious cleared and she went on with life as she normally would.

One particular morning she awoke feeling refreshed and wide awake. It was like a large weight had lifted off her chest when she was asleep. The note Ienzo left behind announcing that he'd gone to work early only managed to bring her down a bit. She practically skipped out of her nightgown and into her sundress, dancing around while she pulled on her long black coat. Then she slipped on her favourite boots- faded black leather tied up to the ankle, sitting atop sharp stiletto heels.

Outside the air was crisp and cool under a cloudy sky. The slight wind hinted at rains to come. Kairi stood staring up into the tinted sunlight, enjoying the beautiful day.

The cab waiting for her at the curb honked loudly, starling her out of her reverie and hurrying her on her way.

The rest of the morning floated by, and she made her way back to her apartment for lunch. She took the stairs two at a time until she reached the fourth floor and the one on which she resided.

She could see her door from the end of the corridor. Walking up to it, all Kairi could think about was a big cool glass of chocolate milk and a toasty sandwich.

"…She's not here…"

"Damn it."

Kairi froze as voices drifted out from behind her closed door. Her thoughts immediately jumped to Aaron Parker, but neither of the men sounded like him.

So, two strangers were in her apartment talking about someone, and she was pretty sure who it was.

She took a few unsteady steps back and then turned around and jogged back down the hall. She ran past the stair way and stepped out onto the fire escape. The clouds had darkened and they milled about threateningly, but she ignored the distant rolls of thunder and gripped the railing. Kairi tested out the ladder, relieved when it didn't give out on her. The thing was so old and rusted, she was afraid it wouldn't be able to hold her weight.

Although the fire escape wasn't visible from her apartment, she moved as quietly as possible. She didn't know who these people were or what they wanted from her. The whole situation was looming over her head as dark as the clouds above her, but she was moving mechanically, as if on instinct.

Two stories above the ground, her ladder shifted and groaned loudly. She held on tightly. The noise echoed off the ally walls and she shot a terrified glance up at the fourth story. But no one had noticed.

She slowed her decent and moved at a painfully lethargic pace. Any minute those men could peer out a window- or worse, they could be leaving the building already, and the fire escape was perfectly visible from the front door. Or if they were kidnappers- stalkers- criminals- they might think to leave through the fire escape also.

With that thought spurring her on, she climbed faster. Groans and gratings became less important. For a moment, she boarded on the edge of panic.

And then her ladder unhinged from its base and she was sent plummeting the rest of the two stories.

Somehow, she managed not to scream. Her back connected with the concrete and all her breath left her in one big whoosh. She bounced and tumbled, her head smacked into the ground multiple times. Her limbs tangled beneath her. Everything was flowing in a slow motion limbo.

When she started to think straight again, she was on her back. Everything hurt and hearing was fuzzy. She went through the motions of checking her injuries- she could move all her fingers and toes, as well as the limbs attached to them. After giving herself a minute to regain her senses, she lifted herself upright. Examination revealed scrapes and bruises, but nothing too extreme. She put a hand to the back of her head and pulled it away. Blood dripped through her fingers.

Someone shouted nearby and she suddenly remembered what she was doing here. With great difficulty she struggled to stand and began tottering down the ally. Gaining speed, she sprinted down the dark passage, resisting the urge to look back and see if she was being followed.

Emerging from the other end of the ally, Kairi searched for her next escape route. A cab was sputtering down the street at a relatively slow pace. Kairi threw herself in front of it. The cab swerved a little as if trying to go around her, but when it realized how little space it had, it screeched to a halt. Thankful it hadn't run her over, she dived into the passenger seat.

"The laboratories, on the hill, please." She told the driver. He glanced around at her, perhaps shocked at having such a torn up person asking for a ride. He made to ask if they should go to the hospital instead, but she brushed him off.

Someone sprinted out of the ally as the vehicle took off. Kairi ducked low and twisted around in her seat, peering out the back window. All she caught was a flash of brown hair, and then the cab turned the corner.

They reached the laboratories in less then ten minutes. Kairi handed the cab driver all the money she could find in her coat pockets. "I'm not sure if that's enough," she told him as she stepped out of the car. "But it's all I have." She tried to give him an apologetic smile but wasn't sure she had succeeded. And she might've slammed the door a little too hard. "Thank you!" she called after the cab.

The first laboratory building was only one you could walk into with out clearance. She could only hope that the doorman would recognize her and allow her access into the other buildings. With great relief, Kairi found that she happened to know this doorman. She couldn't put a name to him, but his grizzled face was familiar. He looked up when the front doors slid shut behind her.

"Ah, Miss Kairi, yes? What might you be doing here?" He gave her a friendly smile and this time she did a better job at returning it.

"Um, I really need to see Ienzo. Do you think I could…?"

He hesitated. "We're not really supposed to do that."

"Oh, I know! But…" She leaned over the desk. "This is really important. It's… it could be life and death important. Please."

She was giving him her most intense look, but Kairi had a feeling it was her scrapes and bruises that really got him. He nodded slightly and pressed a button. The doors that led to the rest of the buildings opened magnificently.

Kairi wasted no time in sprinting off in search of her husband. Unfortunately she didn't really know where Ienzo could be. She just kept running, hoping to run into him somewhere.

After a few intense minutes of running blindly through the halls, a pair of heavy double doors opened up directly in front of her. She stumbled into the opposite wall in order to avoid running into them. A young man with a messy mop of bluish-gray hair emerged, pulling off a pair of goggles and brushing off his labcoat.

"Ienzo!" She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his middle and holding on for life. "Ienzo," she repeated. "Thank God I found you."

He smoothed down her hair reassuringly. Blood clung to his fingers, and, startled, he held her out at arms length. "Kairi- what happened?! Are you okay?" She nodded, noticing for the first time how dizzy she was.

She tried to explain without rambling. "Some people were waiting for me in the apartment. I- I fell when I was getting away- pretty bad, huh?" She laughed unsteadily.

His grip tightened. "Who? Who was waiting for you?"

The Unauthorized Persons alarm went off.

"Oh no. They're already here." She whispered to no one. And before either of them could move, the door at the end of the hall burst open.

Two men tumbled out from behind the heavy doors. They were young, probably around Kairi's own age. Though she had no doubt these were the same men who had been in her apartment, they weren't what she'd been expecting. And one of them, apparently, knew her.

"Kairi!"

Not bothering to wonder how the spiky burnet knew her name, Kairi let herself be dragged away by Ienzo. They rushed down another corridor and ran full out. All the while she never let go of his hand.

But their pursuers were persistent- and fast. Even after all the twists and turns Ienzo and Kairi took, the men were still gaining on them. And it was getting harder and harder to keep running.

Suddenly Ienzo stopped. Not expecting it, Kairi continued to run forward, but turned back when Ienzo didn't follow. "No, just keep going! Keep running!" he called after her. She shook her head and stepped towards him, only to be yelled at again. "Kairi! Just keep running! Go on without me- please!"

They were in a sort of auditorium, Kairi and Ienzo at one end, the burnet and his silver haired companion at the other. Time was slowing down like it had when she fell from the fire escape. Everything had been going so fast before- the sudden change threw her off. She watched in slow motion as Ienzo pushed her away and pulled a gun out from under his coat. He took aim, all the while yelling at her to get away, to keep going.

Kairi spun around and kept running. She vaguely heard gunshots behind her, but they were cut off when the metal auditorium doors slammed shut.

Instead of continuing to run around without a destination, Kairi slowed to a stop and glanced around. Finally finding the door she was looking for, she sprinted through and up a tight spiral staircase. At the top was the catwalk above the auditorium.

She peeked over the edge. Strangely, no one was inside. Even though, just seconds earlier…

Realization dawned on her. This was a different auditorium- a neighbouring one. So maybe here she could be safe.

One thing about catwalks; anything that moved on the grated metal floor could be heard quite easily. Kairi's head snapped around at the scraping footsteps that echoed loudly behind her. They belonged to the burnet, who looked rather relieved to see her.

"Kairi- thank God I found you."

His words were eerily similar to her own. Obviously this guy thought he knew her, and maybe he did. He did know her name, after all.

Even so, she pivoted smoothly and ran in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Kairi, wait!" he called after her. By now, Kairi's energy was draining fast, and it was easy for him to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm with a surprising gentleness, but Kairi retaliated. Knowing that now he had a hold of her, he probably wouldn't let go. So she fought back, slapping, punching, anything.

At first he failed to block her blows- he seemed genuinely surprised that she was attacking him- but with sudden agility, he caught her other hand. Relieved of her only weapons, Kairi tried to retreat. She tripped over her own feet and fell backwards, pulling the unsuspecting kidnapper with her.

Once down, she couldn't get back up. The burnet still had a safe grip on her hands, and his legs tangled with her own. A red curtain of hair fell over her eyes, hiding the blue ones staring back at her. And Kairi couldn't summon the energy to fight back anymore.

He sat up, sliding off of her and freeing her of his weight. For a moment, no one said anything. She just lay there, trying and failing to catch her breath and make sense of what was going on.

Finally the kidnapper broke the silence. "Kairi… don't you- don't you know who I am?"

With great effort, Kairi pulled herself upright. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively and contemplated his question.

A mumbled "No," was all she could muster.

His breathing seem to be cut off abruptly.

And someone else clambered onto the catwalk.

Kairi shook her hair out of her eyes and looked around. It was the other kidnapper, a tall guy with silver hair, and he was dragging Ienzo's limp body behind him.

She bolted to her feet. "I- Ienzo!" With the last of her strength she stumbled forward. She collapsed only a few feet from him, and reached out.

Someone grabbed her shoulders from behind and turned her around. She was face to face with the burnet, who leaned in and looked at her with a desperate expression upon his face. "Kairi. It's me- Sora. Don't you remember me?"

She returned his stare with a desperate look of her own.

"No."

There was only so much Kairi could handle in a day, and she had reached her limit. Her eyes rolled back and she went limp in Sora's arms.

The last thing she heard was a startled, "Oh no, I've killed her!"

* * *

**a/_n_**; I only just got around to posting this, even though I've had it done for ages. This is the first chapter of my second multichapter fic. I'm feeling a bit anxious over it, seeing as I'm more of a drabble/oneshot kinda writer. But, I'm giving it a chance, since it satrted out as just an overly long onshot anyways. The idea sort of sprung on me one night, and I just went along with it. I'm hoping I can make it work. D: 

Reviews, comments, and critique are all very much appreciated. ♥


	2. W LC ME TO DOWNTO N

**A Tr_i_p Down Memory Lane**

( **s**_**ummary**_; What a horrible feeling that had been, not being able to tell the difference between dream, and the real thing. )

( **d**_**isclaimer**_; The worlds and characters of Kingdom Hearts belongs to Squeenix and/or Disney. Story is mine. )

**C**_**hapter Two**_;

W LC ME TO DOWNTO N

* * *

"You should've told us." 

Kairi's subconscious awareness processed the voice and cross-referenced it in her own personal voice data bank. Bingo; It belonged to the kidnapper, that Sora guy.

"Like I said, you started the party without me. I would've warned you, if only you'd been a little more patient. S'not my fault."

She instantly recognized this voice as the one of Aaron Parker. He ranked a little higher on her list of importance, so she switched into half-consciousness.

A pathetic, "…Aaron Parker…" was all she managed to say.

Her eyelids fluttered open only to find Aaron's face very close to her own. "Oh, look! She remembered me!" he exclaimed with a smile.

He was much too loud and much too close. Kairi responded with a slap to his pale, tattooed face.

Before she passed out again, Kairi pegged the last voice she heard to the man with silver hair by default.

"Well, at least we know it's still Kairi."

•••

The next time she regained consciousness, she was determined to keep it. She concentrated on the quite murmurs of conversation around her.

"How did she hit her head like that?"

"I told you, I think she fell."

"From the fourth story?"

"The second story ladder was broken- she probably only fell one."

She groaned and opened her eyes. After they adjusted to the brightness, she was able to discern another pair of eyes staring back at her.

Kairi, learning from past experiences, sat up slowly. The person the blue eyes belonged to put a tentative hand on her arm as if to help her, but she flinched away. With a sweeping glance she took in the room around her.

It was small and round, with soft grey walls and bright fluorescent lighting. One single bench wrapped around the walls, divided by space for doors that let either in or out. She'd been resting with her head in his lap- Sora's, that is. If anything, he looked a little embarrassed about it. Across from them the other kidnapper spoke.

"Careful, your head isn't too right," She reached up and adjusted the loosely wrapped bandage. Underneath, dry blood cracked but she couldn't detect any sign from her injury. She ignored this defiance of practicality, for in her mind she was already framing all the questions she had for these people.

But now that he had established conversation, the second kidnapper jumped in first. "What's your name?"

She gave him a shrewd look. "Don't you know?" she shot back while trying to inconspicuously scoot away from Sora.

He just laughed wryly, green eyes flashing under a curtain of silver hair. "Alright then, let me rephrase that. What do you _think_ your name is?"

The question caught her off guard, but she hid her unease behind a mask of indifference. She didn't see the harm in answering, however, seeing as Sora already knew it. "Kairi."

He nodded like she had answered the question correctly and she bristled inwardly. "Do you know who _I _am?" he asked next.

Kairi was through with cooperation and decided instead she didn't appreciate being interrogated. She crossed her arms and glared openly at him. "I don't normally associate with kidnappers," she spat.

Sora finally spoke up, his voice quite and contemplative. "Technically we're not kidnapping you, we're rescuing you."

Indignant, Kairi shifted her glare to the burnet. "Rescue me from _what_, exactly?"

"Well, Zexion, and whoever else kidnapped you…"

"_You_ kidnapped me," she pointed out.

"Okay, well whoever kidnapped you in the first place-"

"No one kidnapped me!" she said exasperatedly. "I was living in my apartment with my husband minding my own business before _you_ people, obviously deluded, broke in-"

"Wait," the other guy cut in. "You got married? When?"

She scowled at him briefly before refocusing on Sora. "Three weeks ago," she answered tartly.

He look relieved. "Oh, so you aren't actually _married_," he said, leaning back in his seat.

She turned to face him, her expression completely blank despite the growing anger burning up inside her. "Yes I am."

"Nah, you've only been gone two weeks."

She thrust out her hand at arms length, clearly brandishing the silver wedding ring at him. "Then what do you call this?"

"I call it a ring they stuck on your finger and told you was a wedding ring."

Kairi snapped. She stood up angrily and glared down at still unidentified kidnapper, her gaze hot and blazing. "Look, I don't know who you think you are-"

"I think I'm Riku," he interjected mockingly.

"-but I'll have you know Ienzo and I love each other very much, and you have no right-"

Riku (supposedly) stood up too, towering a good eight inches over her. "You don't love him. And I'm absolutely positive he doesn't love you."

Not caring what the percussions would be, Kairi pulled back her arm and slapped him as hard as she could. He didn't even flinch.

The floor gave a violent lurch, and then proceeded to leap and dive in a kind of jerky movement, depositing Kairi back onto the bench she'd previously occupied. She held on to the seat beneath her for dear life.

Finally the room rightened itself. Astonishingly, Riku was still standing. Silver hair hid his eyes from view, but the rest of his face had regained inexpressiveness. He grumbled something like, "I have to go talk to Axel about his 'driving'," before disappearing through one of the doors.

There was silence for a few moments. Kairi folded her arms again and pulled them closer to her body, pointedly facing the direction opposite of Sora.

"… I'm sorry about Riku. It's just- this is really weird for us." He said after a while.

Kairi pretended not to hear. "Are we on a ship?" she asked quietly.

He nodded, then realizing she couldn't see him, said aloud, "Yes. It's a gummiship. Mine, actually, but Axel's piloting it. We don't normally let him, for obvious reasons." One of those obvious reasons presented itself in the form of yet another shaky dive. "But we wanted to… um…" he trailed off.

He stopped rambling and Kairi seized the opportunity to turn around and ask another question. "So, we're in a ship. Where is this ship going?"

"Lovely Downtown Xedez," He said with a hesitant smile. "The heaviest place in all the worlds."

She knew what he meant. More than 99 of Xedez's core was made up of lead, whether solid or molten, with just a thin layer of rock making up the crust. Kairi was lucky; she lived in one of the nicer parts, where grass and tees and other plant life flourished, if somewhat difficultly. Downtown referred to most of the world that was less fortunate in that aspect. She'd heard it was a dark place, with tall crowded buildings and bright neon lights. Nonetheless, it was teeming with its own kind of life, and Kairi knew it would be quite an adventure.

_Adventure?_ What was she thinking? This wasn't an adventure, it was a nightmare. She was being abducted by a couple of crazy guys and a paperman. The enormity of the situation just made the redhead bury her face into her knees with a heavy groan.

"Is it that bad…?" Sora muttered to himself. Kairi didn't reply.

Minutes passed by in uncomfortable silence, interrupted by the occasional shake and jerk. Though she could feel his eyes on her, Kairi ignored Sora with all her willpower.

That is, until she remembered something important.

She lifted her head and looked over at him tentatively. "What-" she stopped abruptly, unable to finish her sentence. Sora gave her a peculiar look.

"Yes?" he asked, trying to prompt her on.

"What- did you- did you kill him?" she whispered feverishly.

He leaned closer, unconsciously dropping into a whisper too. "Who?"

"Ienzo."

"You mean Zexion?"

"No."

He frowned but shook his head. Kairi sighed with relief and scooted a little closer to him. "Can I… can I see him?"

Sora looked at her uncertainly. "I'd rather you didn't…"

"Please," she pleaded, making sure to use her biggest and most despairing puppy eyes.

"…Alright." He scratched at the back of his head nervously. "As long as Riku doesn't find out…"

Kairi leaped to her feat with surprising quickness. She held her coat close around her as she waited for Sora to show her where to go, but he seemed to be stalling for any time at all. He shot a discreet glance at her and made for one of the doors. It slid open automatically, allowing them further into the ship. Only slightly surprised he hadn't tried to restrain her, Kairi followed Sora down a small hallway so cramped they were forced to walk in single file. He kept throwing glances over his shoulder at her, probably to make sure she hadn't run off. They reached another door at the end of the hall. This one, however, didn't slide open by itself. Instead there was a heavy lock, to which Sora did something she didn't quite catch. It swung inward.

Kairi shoved passed him and into a room only slightly larger than a broom closet. Ienzo's lifeless body lay crumpled in a corner. She dropped to her knees beside him and took hold of his shoulders.

"Ienzo?! Ienzo, please wake up."

His eyes snapped open immediately but it was a moment before he really took her in. "Kairi?" he struggled to sit up, wincing and putting a hand to his side.

Kairi placed her own hand over his, gently pulling it away. Blood stood out rather stunningly on the white of his labcoat, and, all the while holding her breath, she pulled away the shirt underneath to reveal a small bullet wound.

She gasped, her head swiveling around to glare at Sora reproachfully. "You shot him!"

"He shot at us first. We just blocked it, and it ricocheted…" he shifted uneasily under her accusing stare. When she made to stand, Ienzo put a hand on her arm.

"I'm fine. _Really_," he added under her doubtful stare. He touched the bandage slipping over her eyes and adjusted it. "At least they had the decency to fix you up."

To her embarrassment, Kairi's eyes began to swell with tears. "I- I'm sorry." She mumbled, head bowed. Ienzo rested a hand against her cheek and gently lifted her eyes to meet his.

"It's not your fault,"

Suddenly Kairi threw her arms around him. "They're crazy." she said into his shirt. He just hugged her back and shook his head.

"…We've gotta go now, Kairi." Sora said from behind her.

"Oh, don't leave on account of me," Riku's voice remarked sardonically.

Reluctantly, Kairi let go of Ienzo. Riku pulled to her feet smoothly and stepped in between them almost protectively. "I don't care whether you're Ienzo or Zexion," he said coldly. "Touch her again and you're dead." And he dragged Kairi out of the room. Sora followed behind, locking the door again. The three of them moved back down the hall, Kairi trapped in the middle. Riku let go of her arm and said to Sora, "We're landing. Axel's going to grab us a cab and then we're splitting up." The burnet just nodded in response.

With his little speech done, Riku made his way down the corridor and out of sight, leaving a glowering Kairi staring after him. "I would never have been friends with someone who's such a jerk," she grumbled.

Sora appeared to be immensely shocked by her statement. "You don't mean that," he said, sounding nearly stunned.

"Yes I do."

For some reason, this seemed to trouble Sora greatly. "Kairi," he said. She turned around so she could see him, and he went on. "How would you feel if a friend you've know almost your whole life gets kidnapped and when you see them only two weeks later, they don't even remember you? And they don't remember all the good times you had, or the bad ones that brought you closer together, and… and everything?"

_I'd feel terrible_, Kairi thought. But she didn't say it out loud. She had a feeling this was one of the most profound things he'd ever said, and her blue eyes met his questioningly. So far he hadn't presented himself to be capable of any deep thought, and she realized that for all he knew about her, she knew almost nothing about him.

And, as silly as it was, her heart swelled for him. _Don't be ridiculous_, she told it sternly, but it took no heed of her and continued to beat furiously as her and Sora's gazes remained locked.

The floor beneath them dropped suddenly and they were sent crashing against the white walls. The ship slammed into something below it with a tremendous THUD.

Kairi's head spun dizzily and for a moment she was afraid she'd throw up. When she was sure she wouldn't spill out her stomach if she opened her mouth, she said, "I think we crashed."

"Actually, I think we landed." Sora replied from somewhere to her right.

Kairi mentally rolled her eyes and muttered, "Same thing," before looking up. Sora's hand was held out her, silently offering her assistance in standing. But despite the intense moment only seconds earlier, she ignored it and picked herself up off the floor unsteadily.

Noiselessly, they departed the ship.

•••

Solid earth had never felt so good beneath Kairi's feet. The "gummy ship" (or whatever it was called) was parked in what appeared to be a large expanse of asphalt surrounded by dark, steep buildings. Their yellow windows stood out like millions of lights sparkling amidst a black forest, and the crowding made it feel as though they were standing in a sort of dead meadow.

A broken neon sign hung from the nearest building. In green blinking letters, it read, "W LC ME TO DOWNTO N".

Their little group moved onto a densely populated street. Aaron Parker stepped forward and with some remarkable talent, instantly summoned a dirty yellow cab. The vehicle was old, and rusted in some parts. Kairi distrusted it immediately.

Riku and Sora herded Ienzo into the back and scrambled in after him while Aaron held the door open for her. "Coming, Princess?" he asked with suave smile.

She frowned at her newly acquired nickname, but nodded in the direction of the car. "There's no way that thing is going to get us anywhere," she said.

He remained unfazed. "Well, it got here, didn't it?" But Kairi refused to budge, and he gave an exasperated sigh. "Look, just get in, okay?"

She shook her head.

"Is something wrong?" Sora called from inside the cab.

"I'm not getting in." she called back.

Aaron grabbed her arm. "Yes you are."

Then he proceeded to unceremoniously shove her into the car. Kairi yelped and braced herself against the doorway. They struggled like that for a minute before Aaron won the upper hand and slammed the door shut behind her. He smiled smugly through the window.

Kairi leaned in. "If you think you've kidnapped a defenseless little girl, you are sadly mistaken," she snarled viciously through the glass. Aaron appeared to be taken aback.

"Kairi," Ienzo cautioned from Sora's other side. She subsided, and Aaron climbed into the passenger's seat.

"The cheapest hotel this side of the Capital," he told the driver. Then he leaned back in his seat and watched her from the safety of the front. "The name's Axel, by the way." he said. "That's A-X-E-L. _Got it memorized?_"

She nearly laughed at his lame catchphrase, but was silenced by the extraordinary tension that formed in the tight space when Axel shifted his gaze to Ienzo. "And how are you, Zexion? Still up to your scheming, manipulative ways? I s'pose this is your newest diabolical plan to destroy the keybearer and what-not?"

There was no answer.

"Suit yourself, Zexy," he returned his gaze to the dashboard and seemed to loose himself in thought. "But I don't think you're going to get out of this one, in the end."

Silence settled uncomfortably. Kairi shifted so she could catch a glimpse of Ienzo, only to find his face completely expressionless.

The rest of the car ride passed quickly and quietly, and suddenly Kairi was being shepherded onto the sidewalk alongside her husband. Riku stood in between them, of course.

"Be quick," he told the two men remaining in the vehicle. Sora nodded and shut the door. They drove off down the street.

The building they'd been dropped off at was quite a sight to behold. The skyscraper scraped the sky at maybe eighty-something stories, and only a few lights shone from windows fenced in with ancient wrought iron. The whole thing looked very dark and very decrepit it the twilight.

Riku secured a firm grip onto Ienzo's arm and they headed into the dingy lobby. The scruffy lady behind the reception desk booked them a one bedroom on the sixty-third floor.

"That's quite a ways up," Kairi observed in a faltering voice. She kind of had a thing for heights. But Riku gave her a reassuring smile, and, strangely, Kairi felt herself relax.

A high speed elevator awaited them, and happily lifted them up to their room in one single bound. Though it had only lasted a moment, Kairi thought she'd be permanently traumatized by the gut-wrenching experience. She was relieved to get into their room and collapse on the bed. Ienzo made to sit next to her, but with a death glare from Riku, swerved off and settled into a faded armchair.

Riku played with the light switch, but the lamp above them refused to shed its light. After a few moments of sitting in the darkness, he turned to the candle set on the bedside table. He placed his hand over it, and with just a mumbled, "Fire," it flickered into life.

Kairi studied the strange phenomenon. "Is that how you fixed me?" she asked. "With your… magic?"

He nodded. "A different spell, but the same thing, really."

She glanced at Ienzo and said, "Can't you heal him?"

Ienzo looked a little uneasy at the suggestion, as if he didn't quite trust this 'magic', but Kairi was steadfast. She stared unrelenting at Riku, who seemed unperturbed by her silent determination. Minutes ticked away slowly.

Eventually, Kairi dropped her gaze, and sung one syllable of defeat. "Please,"

Riku acknowledged her with a nod and turned to Ienzo. "It would be better off if you were dead," he began, then hesitated. "But I won't stoop to your level."

Even with his pacifying words, Riku advanced on Ienzo like a man with the intent to kill. The young scientist shrank into his chair.

"I'd really rather not-" he stammered, but Riku silenced him with a sharp glare. He placed a hand over Ienzo's chest, then seemed to think better of it and moved the hand to the scientists head. Ienzo flinched as Riku mumbled, "Cure,". A green light passed from Riku's outstretched palm into Ienzo's body, and the man fell limp in his chair.

Kairi gasped and Riku took a step back. "He's lost too much blood. And I was never much good at healing anyways. It's the best I can do," he added when she looked at Ienzo doubtfully.

He pulled up another armchair and set it in front of Kairi's seat on the bed. Once he had arranged himself comfortably on the green upholstery, she spoke up. "Where did the others go? Sora and Aaro- Axel?"

Riku had regained his usual expressionless, emotions hidden behind those bright green eyes. "They went to take care of the Organization members stationed here. Convince them to give your memory back, and things."

"Organization? What kind of organization?"

He continued to examine her impassively. "I think I should explain," he said at last.

"Yes, give me a general idea of what the hell is going on here," she snapped, slightly irritated that an explanation hadn't occurred to him earlier.

A low grumble rumbled through out the room.

"But could we maybe get something to eat, first?" she added lamely.

* * *

**a/_n_**; I'm not really sure how many chapters this will go, but I'm thinking around seven or eight. Maybe longer, seeing as I didn't even get as far as I wanted in this chapter. I apologize if it's starting out to slow or something. 

Review, plz. Any sort of comments, critique, ect. is much love. ♥


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